12 Days of a Tsubasa Christmas
by Sunlight through Leaves
Summary: A series of one-shots based on christmas themes. Kurofai
1. 1st Day of Christmas

**Theme: Gifts**

Sakura and Mokona squealed as they tore through the brightly colored wrappings. They sat wedged so closely to the decorated branches of the tree that a handful of pine needles already stuck into the brown strands of hair. Finely made chocolates tumbled out of the boxes.

"There's one for you too, Kuro-tan."

The voice from above him dragged his attention away from the slashed armor draped over his knee. Fai was standing close enough that he had to trace drag his gaze from boots, to knees, to thighs, and finally to the patterned paper box with a metallic bow held out at arm's length. "I don't want any of your chocolate, mage."

"Oh, come on, Kuro-rin. Just open it." Fai settled next to him on the couch and pushed the present into Kurogane's resisting hands.

With a dark grumble of complaint, Kurogane tore into the package – it was always easier to give into the mage's more reasonable whims because he'd have more energy to resist the future ones.

A small leather pouch containing whetstone and oil sat in the bottom of the box. Kurogane pulled it out and turned it over in his hands. He'd lost his sword-sharpening kit in a previous world and had been trying to find a new one for the past several months. "Sometimes, mage, I actually…" When he opened his mouth to finish the sentence, Fai shoved a wedge of chocolate between his teeth. "Really hate you."

Fai patted his knee. "Of course you do, Kuro-chi."

OOOOOOOOO

So, since I'm doing the Kakairu challenge, I thought I would do the same with KuroFai since I haven't written them in a long time. Yeesh, it has been a while, hope I'm still capturing them okay...^^;


	2. 2nd Day of Christmas

**Theme: Pyjamas**

"Look, look!" Mokona bounded up onto Sakura's head and gestured wildly. "There're presents from Kuro-daddy!" It quickly distributed the three packages between the two kids and itself - an embroidered pink scarf for Sakura, a new sword belt for Syaoran, and a box of cookies for the meat-bun.

Sakura folded the fabric into a small square and searched through the rubbish gathered around the base of the tree. After one round of picking everything up and returning it, she began again in earnest. "There's nothing for Fai-san?"

Fai smiled brightly at her, "Oh, don't frown like that, Sakura-chan. It's enough just to see you all so happy."

"You're a terrible liar, mage." Kurogane muttered, dropping the box unceremoniously in Fai's lap. He was just able to catch the momentary brightening of Fai's vapid smile into something resembling a truly happy expression.

Soft, ebony fabric spilled from the box, and Fai lifted it up to study the small red crescents imprinted on it. He turned the cloth over, trying to figure out what it was. "Pyjamas?" He sidled close. "Are you thinking about what I sleep in, Kuro-rin?"

Embarrassment could easily overwhelm good sense and mental control, especially when faced with two kids and one thing staring in curiosity. "Every time you sneak into my bed, you claim it's because you're freezing. These should keep you warm!"

Fai gave the rationale momentary consideration. "But…what if I'm still cold?"

"Then at least you won't be naked!"

OOOOOOOO

Could also fall under the gifts theme, and really is more of a continuation of the 1st day. Ah well, it amused me ^^


	3. 3rd Day of Christmas

**Theme: Frosting**

"Mage!" Kurogane flung the door open hard enough to rattle the hinges. If Fai thought he would just go about committing him to wearing that red and white monstrosity and going around laughing loudly, he had another thing coming. He was going to give him a piece of his mind. Or sword. More likely sword. He'd beat the point into….

Fai stood over the counter, fingers outstretched as he slowly licked frosting off them.

His train of thought didn't so much derail as self-destruct in the middle of the tracks.

He'd come back later.

The image of Fai reinserted itself into his mind even after he'd closed the door.

Much later.

OOOOOO

With this theme, I just couldn't resist...Short, but hopefully good ^^


	4. 4th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Christmas Tree**

Fai stood on tip-toe, one hand braced on the wall and arm stretched to the full extent as he tried to place the star on the top of the tree, preferably without either knocking it over or getting mauled by the needles. The ceilings of their house in this world were vaulted, and Mokona had insisted on the tallest possible tree. Luckily, they hadn't been able to find the twelve-foot monstrosity it had hoped for, but this one was just tall enough to put the top bough beyond his reach.

He sank back to flat feet, huffed in annoyance and tried again. Mokona and the kids were out shopping, or he would have enlisted their help. With Mokona sitting on his hand, they would have been able to accomplish this easily.

The door swung open, bringing with it a swirl of snow, and Kurogane tromped in, stamping slush from his boots.

"Kuro-rin!" Fai's mood brightened considerably. Though the tree might have been just too tall for him, Kurogane should have no problem. "I need help!"

The red gaze took in Fai, the tree, and star in a matter of seconds. "Do it yourself."

"I can't reach!" Fai protested, demonstrating his lack of height. He began to expound on his argument, but barely got the first word out when an arm encircled his waist and hoisted him into the air. "Ah…"

"Just put the damn star on, mage." Kurogane lifted him by his waist and a hand planted firmly in the back of one knee.

The star shone brightly as he plugged it into the string of lights already wrapped around the tree. He had to lean forward to reach the plug, and his shift of weight set Kurogane off balance.

Kurogane shuffled his feet to keep from falling and nudged the tree stand. The tree tilted alarmingly, and both he and Fai jerked away, hoping to avoid knocking the thing over. It had taken several hours to decorate. He lost his hold on Fai, who dropped to the ground, twisting as he fell.

The cat moniker was fairly accurate for Fai - he landed lightly on his feet, facing Kurogane with his arms around his shoulders. He could feel the weight of Kurogane's hands on his waist, steadying him. The heat from the contact spread quickly through his frame.

He desperately needed to take control of the situation. "I meant for you to put the star on the tree. You can reach it." Fai pointed over his shoulder to both illustrate his point and reduce the points of contact between the two of them.

Kurogane's eyes went wide. He stared at the tree before yanking his hands away from Fai as if burned.

"You just wanted an excuse to hold me, didn't you?" Fai teased, hoping that Kurogane had pulled away fast enough not to notice just how rapidly his heart was beating.

Kurogane stomped away, and Fai turned his head to keep from watching him go. His gaze landed on the tree. Thank god, another distraction. "Kuro-tan! It's crooked!"

"I am not helping you anymore, mage."

From this angle, Fai could just see the tinges of red on Kurogane's cheeks as he stalked off.

OOOOOOOO

Ah, I've fallen behind...gotta catch up...

I chalk Kuro's actions up to the idea of giving into Fai's smaller whims to save energy to resist the larger ones. Only this time, he misunderstood...oops! ^^


	5. 5th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Flu Season**

A slight shift in the mattress brought Fai from a blessedly dreamless sleep to awareness instantaneously. The covers lifted, and a chill draft curled down his back. He'd compromised by at least wearing the pyjama pants Kurogane'd gotten him. He was a fan of harassing the other man, but the soft pants were exceptionally comfortable.

He attempted to yank the covers back down around himself, but a mass bulked up against his back before he could move. It was far too big to be anyone but Kurogane, but that made no sense. "Kuro-tan?"

"'m freezing." The deep voice was muffled by his shoulder. Kurogane wrapped himself tightly around Fai's slender form.

"Kuro…." Fai twisted around. His skin literally burned where Kurogane's bare arms rested. He freed a hand and pressed it to Kurogane's forehead. "You're burning up."

Uncontrollable shivers began to rack Kurogane's body. Fai hoisted himself into a partial sitting position, cradling Kurogane's head against his chest and smoothing the spiked hair with a gentle hand until the fever finally broke in the predawn light and Kurogane's labored breathing evened out.

He was rudely awakened several hours later by a hand planted against his stomach. He barely had a second to register it before he was shoved out of the bed.

"Damnit, mage. What did I tell you about crawling into my bed?"

Fai untangled himself from the covers. "_This_ is my bed, Kuro-rin. You're the one who's doing the crawling."

Kurogane looked over his shoulder at the bed that was most certainly his. "What…? I…."

The rampant confusion was far too entertaining for Fai to let Kurogane in on the secret just yet. He'd let him sweat it out for a little bit longer.

Perhaps he'd tell the kids first….


	6. 6th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Snow**

The nature of time between the worlds made it impossible to keep track of how long it had been since they left Clow and Sakura. While summer had been just on the horizon in the previous world, the current one was blanketed in snow, and each building was lined with tiny, twinkling bulbs. The overly decorated evergreen that sat in the corner of their current abode was in homage to the upcoming holiday.

But instead of curling by the fire, watching the lights dance on the tree, and trading stories and laughs with loved ones, Fai stood on the front steps under the light snowfall. The thick cloak he'd been given in Clow was slung around his shoulders and pulled tight to ward off the chill.

Snow had a very distinctive smell. People who grew up in areas that never frosted didn't realize that and never would have recognized it, but the scent filled his nostrils. The smell of something is one of the most powerful memory triggers of all the five senses, and his memory was certainly being triggered right now.

"Stop thinking so hard, mage." Kurogane was leaning in the doorway, studying him. "You're making my head hurt."

"It reminds me of home. Even after everything, I…." Fai shook his head to clear the cobwebs of the past. "On days like this, I truly miss it. But that doesn't matter. It's not as if I can ever go back. It's not as if I have anywhere to go back to." He crossed his arms tightly across his chest.

The drifts on the steps muffled Kurogane's footsteps, and Fai didn't realize he'd moved until his arms and cloak were around him.

"Damnit, mage." Kurogane grumbled into the back of his head. "How many times do I have to tell you? You have a home." After a pause, "It snows in Nihon, you know."

A true smile fixed itself firmly on Fai's face, no matter how hard he tried to fight it down. "Get inside, your arm's going to freeze."

OOOOOOOOOO

Set post-manga. If you've read the last chapter, Fai makes a comment about 'not having a home to go back to.' I've always assumed that Kurogane hauled him off the minute they got to the next world and beat the point into him.

^^ Ah fluff. I finally yanked myself away from picking on Kurogane...


	7. 7th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Ice**

"Hyuuuu~!" Fai took several running steps and slid sideways across the glassy surface of the street. The temperatures had taken a roller coaster ride over the past several hours, resulting in a fine sheet of perfect ice coating everything.

Kurogane stood several feet away with his legs spread to keep from slipping. "Knock it off, mage." He thought briefly about adding, 'you're going to get hurt,' but was well aware that his concern would only lead to a bout of teasing.

"Why, Kuro-tan? It's fun!" On his return trip across the street, a clump of slush snagged his toe, and Fai sprawled forward, stretching out a hand to catch himself.

Kurogane swore softly under his breath and skidded across the intervening space. He managed to catch Fai just before his own feet when out from under him, and together they crashed to the ground. Kurogane's head bounced off the ice, but he was too grateful that Fai's knee came down several inches below his crotch to notice.

They lay sprawled in the middle of the street for several seconds as Fai gasped in an effort to regain the wind that had been knocked out of him. "Are you planning on letting go, Kuro-rin?"

"Give me a minute." Kurogane snapped. "I can't feel my arms because of your little stunt." His brain was also complaining very vocally, and he'd almost certainly wrenched something in his back. At that particular moment, the neurons were refusing to communicate between mind and fingers.

Fai dropped his head down on Kurogane's shoulder. "Despite the fact that my knee and hands are freezing to the ground, this is actually quite pleasant."

"Hn." The noncommittal response was a much as he dared to offer, but if he was absolutely honest with himself, he'd have to agree with Fai. An icy touch to the sides of his stomach stalled that line of thought. "Gyah. Mage!"

Fai wriggled around, shoving his frosty fingers farther up under Kurogane's shirt.

Even though he'd just risked serious bruises and possibly even broken bones to rescue Fai, Kurogane sincerely considered killing him.

OOOOOO

meh.


	8. 8th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Mistletoe**

"What's that, Fai-san?" Sakura hugged the serving tray against her chest and watched him wide-eyed.

"It's a tradition here. You hang it up, and if you wind up underneath it with someone else, you have to kiss them." The little spring of green leaves and red berries hung from a golden ribbon in the arch of the doorway.

Pink tinged her cheeks. "Kiss?"

"Mmm, maybe you can arrange a meeting with Syaoran-kun." He stepped down from the short ladder he'd been using to hang the ornament and winked broadly at her.

The suggestion was guaranteed to make her blush, but after a second, her eyes transferred from Fai to a spot just over his shoulder. "Oh, welcome home, Kurogane-san."

Both men stood in the doorway, Fai still holding the hammer he'd used to hang the mistletoe, and Kurogane laden with bags.

"You guys need to kiss!" Mokona shouted from its perch on Sakura's shoulder.

"What?" Kurogane's voice held a dangerous tone.

"It's a tradition." Sakura explained hesitantly. "You hang that plant up and any two people who are under it at the same time have to kiss."

"Now, now, Sakura-chan," Fai held out his hand. "There's no need to insist on it. If Kuro-tan doesn't want to, there's no reason…"

The bags hit the ground with a resounding thump. Kurogane grabbed the front of his shirt and hauled him forward into a forceful kiss.

If anyone asked later, Fai would vehemently deny any weakening of the knees, spinning of the room or any other romantic platitude, but when Kurogane finished the only thing keeping him upright was the grip on his shirt. Fai gaped up at him.

"What? It's a tradition." And according to that tradition, he _had_ to kiss Fai. The fact that he was more than willing to take advantage of that loophole remained unspoken.

OOOOOOOO

Because you just know that if Kurogane could do something without actually seeming like he was doing something, he would... Or something like that.


	9. 9th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Silent Night**

The room was still. It had been the uncharacteristic silence that woke him. The room was never still. Kurogane sat up and looked in the direction of the other bed, waiting for his eyes to adjust.

Fai was noisy when awake, so it came as no surprise that he did not sleep silently. The nature of the vocalizations has been the real shock. The first time a cry that was more mental pain than physical woke him, he'd leapt out of bed, sword in hand, ready to face the danger. The danger was of course non-existent, but it had taken several years to get used to the muffled sobs and screams. Now he didn't sleep well without them.

Fai's bed was empty, which was never a good sign. Kurogane padded downstairs, hoping he hadn't decided to venture out into the snowstorm.

Thankfully, Fai was seated on the couch, bathed in the light of the fire and decorated tree and staring out at the drifted windows.

"What are you doing, Mage?" Kurogane rubbed the back of his head and yawned.

"Couldn't sleep." Fai didn't look away from the window.

After a moment of waiting for an explanation he knew wasn't going to come, Kurogane scooped up the book he'd bought earlier and sat on the couch next to Fai. It wasn't like he was going to get to sleep any time soon without the background noise.

OOOOOO

Ah, a bit melancholy, sorry. More towards the idea that snow reminds Fai of Celes and brings back bad memories.


	10. 10th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Tinsel**

The minute a discussion about decorating the tree that he'd somehow been convinced to cut down and drag inside came up, he made a frantic break for it, choosing to retire outside to run through his sword exercises. By the time he returned, sweaty and pleasantly exhausted, the tree was decorated, though it looked like it had put up a good fight. He was fairly certain that Sakura was wearing two ornaments as a pair of earrings, and there was no mistaking the patina of shiny silver coating Fai's hair.

"Kuro-rin!" The blue eyes sparkled almost as much as the tinsel above them.

"Kuro!" Mokona bounced onto the arm of the couch. "You missed it! We had a fight!"

"Hn."

Fai was picking pieces of tinsel out of his hair while Sakura and Syaoran picked up the rest of the debris. He managed to get most of it out of the front, but wasn't making much progress on the back.

He set his sword down in the corner and twisted right and left to stretch his arms and back. He turned to find Fai standing a few feet from him with his hands clasped behind his back. "What do you want, mage?" Fai's arms were around his neck before he had a chance to react. As much as Fai harassed him, physical contact like this was unusual, and Kurogane struggled to get his mental legs back under himself.

A small sliver of air separated Fai's lips from his own, and Kurogane strangled down the desire to close the gap.

But then Fai smeared a handful of tinsel into his hair, and his urge died almost instantaneously. He snatched up his sword and chased Fai across the room.

OOOOOO

Poor Kurogane... ^^


	11. 11th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Sledding**

He was in no way participating in this asinine activity, and no amounting of pouting on certain magician's part was going to change his mind. Though he could hear Fai whispering behind him, he staunchly ignored it. He was successful until the red metal rim of the toboggan slammed into the back of his knees. The collision knocked him off balance, and he sat down hard.

"Quick!" Fai called over his shoulder. "Push!"

If he was going to be forced to participate, he was in no way participating alone. The wide sleeves of Fai's jacket were at least good for something – he grabbed and yanked hard, causing Fai to sprawl across his lap just before the others shoved them down the hill.

The toboggan ran straight for several feet before encountering a hummock of snow. It tilted up on one runner before spilling them out. They bounced, tumbling one over the other until coming to rest at the base of the hill.

A couple of the teenagers who were also using the sledding hill started giggling before they could sort themselves out. Kurogane realized after a second that not only was Fai straddling him, but he was also completely unconscious. For a heart-stopping moment, he worried Fai was seriously injured, but a fast spreading bruise on Fai's temple that was the same general size as Kurogane's elbow provided a reasonable explanation.

Even though Kurogane shoved Fai off him rather roughly, he still gathered him gently into his arms and carried him back up the slope.

OOOOOOO


	12. 12th Day of Christmas

**Theme: Mittens**

The outside temperatures had plummeted during the night. The sense of Sakura's feather appeared and disappeared throughout the day, so they'd taken turns keeping watch outside the inn, waiting for any signs of the feather. Fai had volunteered for the shift that ran from midnight until dawn, not wanting to expose either of the kids to it and fearing that any reluctance on his part would only make him look weaker in Kurogane's eyes. He didn't think he could stand it if Kurogane hated him any more.

He cupped his hands to his mouth and blew on numb fingers. His breath steamed out into the frigid air, but transferred very little heat to his appendages. He tucked his hands into his armpits, trying to control the shivering.

"Idiot."

The dark voice from behind him startled him, and in his surprise, he didn't react as fast as he should have.

Kurogane grabbed his hands and clasped them between his own. Fai's slender fingers disappeared inside Kurogane's larger ones, and heat slowly started to flow back to his tingling hands.

"I'm fine." Fai tried to pull back. Though his fingers were now thawing out, the rest of his body was even colder by comparison. The shiver racked his frame, and he tried to hide it with little success.

"Idiot." Kurogane repeated and pulled him into his arms, wrapping his jacket around Fai.

The temperatures dropped even farther as the world climbed towards dawn, but a faint heat began to suffuse Fai's body.

OOOOOOOO

That's right, melt Fai's heart! ^^  
**Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays everyone!**

Thanks so much to everyone who supported and commented through this challenge! 3


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